Online 'Hacktivists' Out 9,200 Twitter Accounts Tied to Islamic State

The Internet activist hacker group Anonymous and several other collaborators have published the Twitter handles of what it says are 9,200 Islamic State supporters, in an attempt to draw the attention of the social media site's leadership and curb the militant group's online presence.

VOA has not been able to independently verify the accounts on the list; several of those reviewed include the images of the black-and-white Islamic State flag, and have been active within minutes or days, while others have been suspended.

Hundreds of users and several activist groups contributed to compiling the list, according to statements from participants.

Twitter user @CtrlSec, which participated in the account round-up, last week said that of 11,660 accounts it had linked to Islamic State, Al-Qaida, or other terror groups, about 2,000 remained active, while the remainder had been shut down.

"The more attention it gets the more likely it becomes Twitter takes action in removing these accounts and making a serious impact on the ability of ISIS to spread propaganda and recruit new members," read a statement by XRSONE, which describes itself as a "cyber security firm specializing in digital counter-terrorism."

"This is historic amongst the digital world as it's the first time these groups have come together for something this large," a member of Anonymous told the International Business Times UK.

Earlier this month, Twitter suspended thousands of accounts linked to the Islamic State. And in February, Anonymous took credit for shutting down hundreds of users on the website that the hacker group said were affiliated to Islamic State supporters.